Brownlee must ask CAA to release the report

Gerry Brownlee must ask the Civil Aviation Authority to release the report that finds he broke the law in breaching airport security, says Labour's Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford.

“It is inexcusable for any minister, let alone the then-Transport Minister, to flout airport security rules in the way Gerry Brownlee did. By giving him the maximum fine the CAA has rejected Mr Brownlee’s initial attempt to play down the seriousness of his offence.

“Mr Brownlee made a tonne of excuses at the time, most of them hard to believe. The only way the truth will come out is if the report is released. Either Gerry Brownlee should publically ask CAA to release it or the new Minister of Transport should order the Authority to do so.

“It is important that Mr Brownlee is held accountable in public as any other New Zealander would be for this kind of offence. In the interests of transparency it is essential that the report is released in full,” says Phil Twyford.